Wineglass Bay Cruise: Seasickness and Weather

The Wineglass Bay cruise starts on the sheltered water of Great Oyster Bay and spends part of its 4½ hours on the open Tasman Sea, rounding the southern end of the Freycinet Peninsula to reach Wineglass Bay. The boat is an enclosed catamaran, seasickness is uncommon on Pennicott Wilderness Journeys’ boats, and when the sea makes Wineglass Bay unsafe the crew take an alternative route around the Schouten Island group, with a full refund if you would rather not go. The cruise, listed as From Coles Bay: Wineglass Bay Cruise with Lunch, is from US$148 a person (checked November 2026), with free cancellation up to 24 hours before on this listing.

The calendar above is the cruise from Coles Bay, with 587 reviews (checked November 2026).

The short answer

Most passengers are fine. The first and last stretches are on Great Oyster Bay, which faces west and is sheltered from the ocean swell by the peninsula; the stretch around the southern tip and up the ocean side into Wineglass Bay is open water, and on a day with swell from the south or east that is where you will feel it. The boat is a 150-seat catamaran with enclosed, air-conditioned lounges, which keep you out of the wind and spray. If you are prone to motion sickness, take your usual remedy before you board, sit low and towards the middle, and look at the horizon.

Where the water is calm, and where it is not

Coles Bay sits on Great Oyster Bay, on the western, sheltered side of the Freycinet Peninsula. The boat runs south along that shore below The Hazards, past Cooks Beach and Bryans Beach, then through the inner passage by Schouten Island at the peninsula’s southern end. From there it turns north along the ocean side, the Tasman Sea, into Wineglass Bay. The open-sea part is the stretch between the passage and the bay; the shore of Great Oyster Bay is in the lee of the land.

When the weather turns

When the sea makes the Wineglass Bay route unsafe, the boat takes an alternative route around the Schouten Island group instead, which passes a large Australian fur seal haul-out; if you would rather not travel on that route, you can take a full refund. In extremely bad weather the cruise is cancelled, and you are offered a full refund or another date if one is free.

On this GetYourGuide listing you can also cancel for free up to 24 hours before the cruise. Bookings made directly with Pennicott follow its own terms, which may charge 50% inside 48 hours of departure and 100% inside 24 hours, so book through a listing with free cancellation if you are watching the forecast.

Check dates with free cancellation

What to wear and bring

The lounges are enclosed and air-conditioned, but you will want to go out on deck, and the east coast’s weather changes fast, so bring warm layers and a rain jacket even in summer, plus sunglasses and sunscreen. Wear comfortable flat shoes for moving around the boat. Lunch is served on board if you booked it; otherwise bring your own food, and the bar and cafe sell drinks and snacks.

Children, accessibility and pregnancy

There is no age or height limit in the Vista Lounge, and children aged 3 to 16 pay the child fare; the Sky Lounge is for adults only. The Vista Lounge, on the main deck, is wheelchair accessible and has an accessible toilet; the Sky Lounge is upstairs. If you are pregnant or have a medical condition made worse by motion, ask the operator before you book; the contact page on pennicottjourneys.com.au has the number.

Does the cruise run in winter?

Yes: it runs every day of the year except Christmas Day. Dress for cold on deck from May to September. Winter has its own reason to go: humpback and southern right whales pass Freycinet from May to July, and again from September to December.